Christmas Salamanders!
Who'd ever guess that it would be warm enough on Christmas day for amphibians to be out...but here we are.  Not only did I find the very common red-back salamander (top), but the much harder to find four-toed salamander (bottom two), all very close to Penny Pond.  It's a miracle!  Also saw some deer. 

The Penny Pond woods are now home to pileated woodpeckers, a large, beautiful species that was never there in the decades that I patrolled this area. There are many dead trees for them to forage through, and as the pond itself swells, more and more trees will become great woodpecker buffets. This is just one more reason to try and protect these woods. Also, we need some kind of a clean-up crew, as misguided locals continue to wantonly leave litter everywhere. When will the town of Berwick do something about this?